Red Velvet, Cream and Strawberry Parfaits

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!! I hope your day is filled with loads of happiness and extra sweet. This is actually a round 2 recipe.  I made these delicious parfaits with leftover ingredients from my Red Velvet and Strawberry Short-Cupcakes.  You can make these individual parfaits and it's a perfect size sweet ending to any meal. To make the parfaits I baked a regular sheet cake and cut it into pieces. The cream cheese marshmallow filling compliments the red velvet cake perfectly and the strawberries are the hidden jewels that just give the perfect amount of tartness.  Of course you can make one large trifle with these same ingredients if you prefer. I hope you share a sweet holiday today with you loved ones and don't forget to keep the Valentine's mood alive the rest of the 364 days of the year!! :)


Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite red velvet cake mix or substitute a scratch red velvet cake recipe (see note)
2 (8oz) bricks of cream cheese
1 (7 1/2oz) jar of marshmallow fluff
1 tub of cool whip
1 pint of strawberries

Notes:  I decided to use a box cake mix because it was easy and convenient.  I don't like the really dark almost "black" color the box cake mix comes out so I actually baked a box of red velvet cake with a box of yellow cake mix.  It gave me a more of a Valentine's "red" color and not so much a "black" one. If you do not have access to prepared cake mix you can substitute Paula Deen's Recipe for Red Velvet Cake

 Directions: 

Bake your cake as directed.  I actually use Paula Deen's advice when it comes to baking from a box cake mix to make it richer: 
1. Add an extra egg to to the box cake mix (for example if the box calls for 3 eggs, use 4)  
2. Add butter in place of the vegetable oil  that is called for on the cake box.
3.  Add milk in place of the water that is called for on the cake box.

To prepare your cream cheese whipped topping: Bring the bricks of cream cheese to room temperature.  Then take an electric mixer and whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.  Next add your marshmallow fluff to the cream cheese and mix well.  Finally fold in the cool whip topping until it forms a nice fluffy topping.
Note:  The marshmallow fluff is very sweet and was enough sugar for my whipped topping.  If you desire more sweetness just add some sugar when you are whipping the ingredients together (remember the whip topping will add sweetness too).

Here is a tip help fill your parfait glasses with the cream filling neatly:  Put your cream filling mixture into a pastry bag or a zip-loc bag. Push all the cream filling to one corner and snip off a small corner off the bag so you pipe directly into the glass without getting it all over the sides. .

Layering Directions: Layer the red velvet cake at the bottom, top with the cream filling and strawberries then repeat. Finish off with the cream and strawberries.  Chill and Serve. Enjoy!

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